Cayman equestrians riding high after UK trip
Cayman riders at the Donkey Derby
(CNS Local Life): Young equestrians from Cayman spent two weeks this summer in the UK, taking part in various competitions, visiting horse shows, training and even meeting an Olympic gold medallist in dressage. The trip for the young members of Cayman Riding School (CRS) started with them competing in a charity Donkey Derby organised by the UK Lions Club that attracted more than 2,500 spectators and raised over £3,800 to help fund needy projects for the local community.
Competing against riders from the UK and Tanzania, the day finished with an extra bonus as Cayman Rider Amelia Garnett won the title of Champion Jockey, stated a CRS press release.
A visit to the Royal International Horse Show – one of the largest of its kind in the UK and among the oldest horse shows in the world – meant the Cayman riders got to experience the best international riders in action.
They also got to meet Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin – the most successful British dressage rider in the history of the sport.
(L-R) Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin with Eva Muspratt, Olivia Kluyver and Freya Timms
Young equestrian Olivia Kluyver, who trains with her own horse at the riding school, said of the experience, “Unless you are ‘horsey’, you have no idea how amazing it was to meet (Dujardin). It was such an honour and I was so excited. I did not know what to say.”
For the past nine years – as part of an affiliation with the British Pony Club programme, Tracey Surrey, CRS owner and trainer, has organised a trip to the UK to enable her riders to gain knowledge, compete and be exposed to experiences not available in Cayman. As an international youth organisation for young people interested in horses, the club has been the starting point for numerous international and Olympic riders. Represented in more than 27 countries with a overall membership exceeding 110,000 – the club is the largest association of young riders in the world.
“Our affiliation with the British Pony Club is the perfect partnership,” said Surrey. “Our main emphasis is for riders of all abilities to learn and have fun in the safest way possible”.
The group was also lucky enough to meet and get training tips from Olympic, European and World Championship show jumper Michael Whittaker and, on the final day, Surrey arranged special permission for the group to enter the international arena to walk (study) the course for the €200,000 King George V Gold Cup and meet the winner, Yuri Mansur, who made history as the first Brazilian to win the event.
“The jumps were absolutely massive,” said Kayla Godwin, another young rider from CRS. “It gives you so much to aim for and makes you realise just how hard you have to work. I hope to put everything into practice now I am back to Cayman.”
Two weeks jam packed with show jumping, carriage driving, dressage and cross country training, stable management and team-building exercises ended with the Cayman riders participating in a local horse show and achieving outstanding results: Juliette Forrester, Eva Muspratt and Olivia Kluyver placed first through third in the 0.8m show jumping class and Freya Timms won her British dressage class.
Category: Equestrian, Sports
